Awakening Flames
by DesireeStorms
Summary: (2014 movie based) A girl finds herself in a sticky situation when Foot Clan members invade her apartment building, but when she's rescued by four hulking creatures, she's not sure whether to be relieved or horrified. However, once she recovers from the initial fright, she finds it difficult not to warm up to these pizza loving vigilantes. Donatello/OC FULL SUMMARY INSIDE
1. Rough Night

**Disclaimer: TMNT belongs to ****Jonathan Liebesman.**

**A girl finds herself in a sticky situation when Foot Clan members invade her apartment building, but when she's rescued by four hulking creatures, she's not sure whether to be relieved or horrified. They have her on lockdown in the sewers, knowing the Foot Clan are after her, but she's hardly a willing guest at first. However, once she recovers from the initial trauma, she finds it difficult not to warm up to these pizza loving vigilantes. The situation grows increasingly complex as she becomes very close with the four brothers, and chaos ensues. It's not all bad, though. Donatello/OC**

**Chapter #1: Rough Night**

The city streets were a harsh transition from the streets of Venice, lacking the friendly, welcoming faces and bucolic warmth that sculpted the pastoral architecture. Venice had been a brief experience—a vacation—and now it was back to the chaotic and almost dismal reality of New York. For those accustomed to sunlight, open spaces, and warm breezes, they would have had a hard time adjusting to the cramped, hectic life in the city. The towering skyscrapers seemed to stretch up for miles overhead, casting giant, ominous shadows over the streets. It was a wonder people who lived in cities did not die by the age of thirty from poisoning after breathing in the fumes of the cars, busses, and cigarette smoke, as steam filtered up from open manholes like slithering ghosts.

People pushed and shoved passed one another without a thought, trampling each other in their rush to get nowhere. Even at night, the streets did not sleep, and presently it was almost midnight. Amongst the crowd, a young woman walked on at a brusque pace, uttering quiet pardons as she wedged passed people. Dark, lush waves flowed down her back and over her shoulders with a gentle bounce. Her eyes were a vibrant, alert hazel-green, scanning her surroundings with an acute awareness as she shuffled through the crowded streets. At long last, she reached her destination, as she ascended the steps to her apartment building, relieved to be home after a long flight. As she was walking up the stairs, an elderly woman stepped out from one of the apartments and smiled up at her.

"Serena, amore, welcome back, honey."

Serena looked down at her and smiled. "Hey, Rosa."

The older woman came to stand at the bottom of the railing. "How was Venice?"

"Ugh, it was beautiful. So many friendly faces and warm scenery." Shaking her head, Serena set her with a wistful look. "Why do I live here, Rosa?"

The landlord laughed. "How do you think I feel? I was born there, bambina."

"Why would you stay in a place like this?"

"You know why, .sciocco."

"Yeah, but Antonio is on his own now. Go back to Venice. Find yourself a hot Italian stallion and sip on some wine out on the veranda."

Rosa let out a heartened laugh. "Oh, child, those days are behind me."

"Age is but a number, Rosa." Serena winked at her. "Well, I have to go. I promised my sister I'd send her the pictures when I got back. I'd be happy to show them to you later."

"Okay, my love. And don't worry about your rent until next month. I know you've been struggling with helping Sarah pay off those medical bills."

Serena blew a kiss at her. "What would I do without you, Rosa?"

"Shrivel and die."

She laughed. Once she was in her apartment, she dropped her bag on the couch and flicked the lights on with a careless finger. She had been gone for two weeks, and the apartment desperately needed a dusting, but she had no plans of taking on that task tonight. Right now, all she was interested in was a cold one and resting her tired eyes. Walking into the kitchen, she opened the fridge and pulled out a beer. She missed Venice already. It was rare she was able to get away from the city. Right about this time would be when she was sitting out on a balcony, sipping some wine as she watched the boats row by below, the beautiful sunset vibrantly displayed in the distance. Now, when she looked out the window she saw a dimly lit concrete jungle and starless sky. Sighing, she lifted the bottle to her lips and took a thoughtful sip, completely unaware of the danger that lurked outside and had made its way into the building.

A sudden series of gunshots nearly made her choke on her drink, head snapping up in alarm. The bottle fell from her startled grasp, crashing to the floor and spilling its contents on the kitchen tile. Screams echoed through the halls as shots were fired, and she could hear male voices yelling over the noise, ordering for people to get down and shut up. Rapid, booted footsteps could be heard clambering up the steps.

"This is it! Number twelve!"

Her eyes widened. That was her apartment number. What these intruders could possibly want with her, she did not know, but she wasn't about to stick around to find out. Turning, she took off across the room towards the window. The door was kicked off its hinges with a deafening bang, the wood splintering with the impact, but she didn't pause even as five black-clad men barged into the apartment with guns in hand.

"Quick, the window!"

But she was too quick for them. With the running start, she leapt out through the open window, hands latching onto the horizontal bar above her head, and she threw her body upwards in one single, fluid motion. Her body swung up in a graceful arch, letting go of the bar just as her feet were straight up in the air. Her body flew up with the swing, and her feet planted firmly on the balcony above hers. Without pause she grabbed onto the fire escape and began scaling it as quickly as her legs would carry her until she reached the roof. What she hadn't planned for was for there to be more men awaiting her.

Eyes flying wide, she moved to bolt to the side, but she was grabbed by a pair of very strong arms wrapping around her frame. Her immediate reaction was to kick back and attempt to knock her and her attacker backwards, but he merely lifted her off the ground. Her legs flailed, the rest of her body thrashing, but a hand over her mouth muffled her screams. Her eyes darted all around her as more men appeared, surrounding her at all sides. No. This was not going to happen to her again. Not tonight.

Then suddenly, a dark, large figure suddenly jumped onto the roof, and it became instantly clear this newcomer wasn't with her attackers when they all whirled about in alarm, guns raising. They did not hesitate in firing their weapons, as the new figure bolted to the side, in the process plowing straight into one shooter while taking out another with his bare fist. Within seconds, the roof had burst into an all out warzone, as shots were fired, and men released loud shouts of pain as they were beaten to the ground like ragdolls.

The man restraining her was suddenly yanked backwards, and she stumbled over in surprise. She would have fallen over the side of the roof, too, if it hadn't been for the hand that grabbed her from behind and pulled her back to safety. She yelped in surprise as she slammed into a chest, looking up sharply to see who her supposed rescuer was. When she got a good look at his face, however, her eyes grew into the size of saucers.

"Oh my God…"

The hulking figure above her abruptly turned away when bullets were fired into his… back… which appeared to be shielded with a large piece of plated armor. As her vision adapted to the dim light, however, she realized that it was not a shield, and her rescuers were not hulking men. They weren't _human_. Greenish skin glistened with the rain that had begun to fall, reptilian slits for nostrils flared as they fought, and on their backs…. On their backs were….

Within seconds, all twelve men on the roof were either dead or unconscious, and she realized there was not one, but four of these creatures. The largest one's arms alone were bigger than her, and she watched as he high-fived one of the others, commenting on their handiwork with nothing short of pride.

Leonardo grabbed the collar of the only men left standing and slammed him back against the wall of the shed sitting on the roof, and he would have driven his fist straight into his face if it hadn't been for the words his captive snarled at him.

"The girl belongs to us!"

Raphael turned around to face him, expression contemptuous. "She doesn't seem to agree with that," he sneered derisively.

"She doesn't have to."

Serena's eyes were wide, heart racing as she slowly rose to her feet. If she was quiet, maybe she could sneak off without them seeing her. Slowly, she backed up towards the fire escape. She was just about to reach for the ladder, when Leonardo spotted her. He turned sharply.

"Donnie, get 'er!"

She froze as the one closest to her turned, and her eyes widened. He immediately raised his hand.

"No, wait—!"

She bolted. He instantly took off after her.

"Don't let her get away!" Leonardo shouted after him.

She took all of them off guard when she did not stop as she reached the roof's edge, instead jumping up onto the ledge before taking the leap. Brief weightlessness took over her body as she soared through the air, before tucking into a roll as she landed on the roof of the building next to the one they had been on. She could hear the creature behind her, he having made the jump as well, but she did not look back.

Donatello had been less than prepared for her to take such a leap, but he didn't cease in the chase. He pursued her as she continued to hop obstacles like they were nothing, leading him on nothing short of a wild goose chase. She grabbed onto bars, poles, and chains, swinging her body over and under obstacles and leaping over gaps, maneuvering her body with a fluid grace that he'd never seen before. For a human girl, she sure was giving him a run for his money.

"Jeeze, she's fast," he muttered. "Hey!"

Ignoring him completely, she jumped over the side of the roof they were running across and grabbed onto the ladder on the side of the building. She didn't use the steps, allowing her hands to loosen as her body slid downwards until her feet planted firmly on the cement below. She had landed in an alleyway. To her right was the street, which was a good distance away, and to her left was a dead end, leaving her with only one option. Right as she was going to take off for the streets, her pursuer suddenly landed in front of her, and she took a violent recoil backwards. Her breathing was quickened almost to the point of hyperventilation, her eyes wide as she stared up at him. He held his hands up quickly, which were also inhuman-looking, having only three fingers each.

"Hey, take it easy. I'm not trying to hurt you."

She only glared at him, her eyes fierce—like a wild tiger being forced into a corner. His eyes shifted towards her arm, and he saw she was bleeding. Her arm was painted in crimson, having must've gotten scratched or cut during the struggle. A quick scan showed no major arteries were hit, as he slowly closed in on her.

"Take it easy. I just wanna—"

She suddenly blitzed towards him without warning, causing him to jump. He was vastly unprepared, as she dove under his legs, her body sliding over the wet ground. Her body plummeted into the open manhole behind him right as he whipped around to face her.

"Crap."

Running forward, he jumped in after her, but she was already disappeared. Reaching up, he pulled his headset down and scanned the area, and he managed to pick up her location. It didn't take him long to find her. She was running at a full sprint, not having slowed down even after the previous chase.

"Hey! Stop!"

She looked back at him but didn't stop, when suddenly a hulking figure ran in from one of the side halls. She was unable to stop in time and slammed straight into him.

"What the—" Raphael exclaimed.

She crashed to ground, as her head bounced off of the cement with harsh impace. Her body fell still.

"Oh, good job, Raph!" Donatello snapped.

"I didn't do anything! She came outta nowhere!"

Leonardo was next to appear on scene with Michelangelo, and they all looked down at the girl with widened eyes. Leonardo let out a heavy sigh.

"Great."

Donatello was knelt over her, checking her vitals. He pressed two fingers to her jugular to feel for a pulse, and, to his relief, it was strong.

"Well?" Leonardo pressed impatiently.

"She's fine. She hit her head pretty hard, though. She'll probably be out for awhile—"

Her body suddenly jerked to life, causing them to jump in surprise. Her eyes snapped up to them, and the second she saw all four of them above her she instantly tried scrambling away, but Donatello held her down.

"Relax. We are not trying to kill you."

Leonardo knelt down in front of her. "Are you alright?"

She scrambled away from him in a panic, shoving Donatello's hands off her in the process. Quickly, she jumped to her feet, ignoring the throbbing pain in the back of her skull as she looked at each of them with wide eyes. They were surrounding her, and her breathing only grew more frantic as they closed in.

"Whoa, easy!" Michelangelo said. "Chill, we're the good guys!" He smiled.

That was when she fainted, and Leonardo barely caught her before she hit the ground, her body falling limp in his arms.

"Not again…"

"Well, I think that went well," said Donatello lightly; though, his voice was brimming with sarcasm.

Leonardo huffed. "Let's get her back home. She can't stay at a hospital with those guys after her." Gently, he collected her in his arms and picked her up off the damp ground.


	2. Runaway

**Disclaimer: TMNT 2014 belongs to ****Jonathan Liebesman.**

**Chapter #2: Runaway**

Consciousness slowly found her, and with it came a splitting headache that clawed relentlessly at the inner walls of her skull like a chisel to stone. Her features tense slightly against the pain, but she managed to force her eyes open, able to register the feeling of something soft and warm beneath her. Upon looking down, she realized she was lying on a pile of blankets and pillows that were not her bed, and they sure as hell weren't a hospital bed.

Lifting her head, she looked around at her surroundings, wincing as her migraine scraped against her skull. She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand, frowning as she tried recalling what had happened. It didn't take long for her memory to activate, as it all came flooding back in the form of a brutal slap to the face. Eyes widening, she abruptly jumped up from the makeshift bed and made a mad dash for the first exit she could find. Her escape was brought to an sudden halt, however, when one of the creatures suddenly stepped into her path. She skidded to a halt, eyes flying wide as he emitted a sound of surprise, hands flying up in what he thought was a calming gesture.

"Whoa! Hey, you're up!" said Michelangelo.

Without a thought as to where it would take her, she bolted off. Leonardo came charging onto the scene that second.

"Guys, _grab her_!" he snapped.

She ducked under Michelangelo's arm when he attempted to grab her, but she was once again intercepted when Leonardo tried grabbing her. Swiftly, she dropped down and slipped through his arms with the nimbleness of a cat, body twisting in the same moment and sliding under his legs with fluid grace. Without pause, she rose back to her feet and took off once more as Leonardo spun around, clearly taken aback. Donatello came from around the corner, but she dropped to her knees and leaned back, sliding right under his legs as well. He released a startled sound, jumping at the speedy maneuver.

"See, I told you she's fast!" he exclaimed.

Raphael was the one to finally get her, having been waiting patiently by the only exit in the room. The moment she saw him, she skidded to a stop, heels sliding on the floor from the abrupt attempt at a halt. Hazel green orbs flew wide at the sight of his size.

"Holy shit!"

She went to turn, but he reached out and grabbed her. She thrashed in his grasp as he held her back against his front, kicking and squirming in his huge arms, but to no avail.

"LET ME GO!"

"Calm down!" Leonardo tried approaching her, but she just kicked out with both legs and shoved him back with a powerful push, face setting into a snarl.

"Get the hell away from me! _Put me down!_"

Raphael released a sound of frustration as she squirmed unremittingly in his arms, grunting with annoyance when she pushed up against his face with her hand.

"PUT ME DOWN OR I'LL GAUGE YOUR EYES OUT!"

Sighing, Leonardo shifted his gaze to Raphael and nodded. With a huff, the red clad warrior released his hold on her. She instantly pushed away from him, nearly tripping over, but he hardly budged with his size, making it more of a push against herself. They surrounded her again, making sure she wasn't able to make another mad dash at an escape as they tightened their ranks. Leonardo was the one to speak up first, keeping his voice calm and composed.

"You don't have to be afraid."

"What do you want?" she exclaimed.

"We don't want anything. You're being hunted."

Her eyes searched him.

"We brought you here, because the people that are hunting you know where you live. We're trying to protect you," he explained evenly.

She was still breathing a little fast, breasts rising and lowering in sync with her racing heartbeat as she stared up at him. When she finally managed to speak, her voice was a tremulous whisper. "What _are_ you?"

"We're ninjas."

"…Ninjas." Her eyes were incredulous. "_What_?"

"We're turtles," Donatello clarified. "Walking, talking turtles, but turtles."

She shifted her stare to him.

"It's a long story," he concluded.

She was staring at them openly, eyes shifting back and forth between each of them. It had become painfully clear to her that she was not dreaming. Everything felt too real. She could feel the migraine pounding in her head, hear the sound of her rapid breathing and heartbeat, smell the dankness of the sewers….

"I need a drink."

"Sorry. No booze here," said Michelangelo, a bit too cheerfully. "Want some Orange Crush?"

She held her hands up. "Look… I don't know what's going on… but if you let me go, I won't tell anyone about you. Just… let me leave."

"We can't. You'll get killed," Leonardo argued firmly.

"I can take care of myself."

Raphael scoffed. "That's not what we saw tonight."

"They caught me off guard. It won't happen again," she replied sharply.

A moment of silence drifted between them….

"Just stay until things quiet down," Leonardo pushed.

A huff left her lips. He took a step towards her, causing her eyes to snap to him sharply. She instantly backed away from him. Reaching into her pocket, she suddenly paused when she realized her phone was missing. Her head snapped up to each of them, anger flashing through her darkened orbs.

"_Give me my phone_," she growled venomously.

"Donnie." Looking at him, Leonardo nodded for him to hand it over.

The purple masked one reached down, her eyes following his hand as he pulled the phone from his belt, and he stepped forward, arm outstretching to hand it back to her. She snatched it from his hand and instantly went to look through it, only to grow a look of horror as she realized everything had been erased.

"You wiped my phone?!" she all but snarled at him. "What the _fuck_ did you do that for?"

"It also has no service," said Leonardo. "We can't have you calling your friends. The last time people found out where we were, the place was trashed, and we were almost killed."

"I ought to turn your ass into turtle stew! You're lucky I don't have my weapons, Franklin! You have no idea what you've done!"

Behind her, Raphael sneered in her direction. "You're welcome for saving your ass, by the way," he snapped.

She turned her head up and over her shoulder at him, and she was about to shoot something back at him when, all of a sudden, a loud alarm suddenly went off, echoing through the dojo at an almost deafening volume. Serena watched in confusion as all their heads snapped towards the computers. Donatello ran over to them, pulling up what looked like a map of the subway.

"They're at it again. In the subway this time," he reported.

"All right." Leonardo turned to face Serena, and without waiting for her approval he grabbed her by the wrist. A fierce shimmer flashed through her eyes, as she instantly tried yanking him off her.

"Let go of me!"

He almost effortlessly pulled her back over to the bed she awoke on and cuffed her wrist to the edge. Where the handcuffs had come from, she had no clue, but, then again, she had no idea how any of this was real. She glared after him with fierce eyes as he turned away with the others.

"Let's rock and roll, boys. Donnie, stay here with her until Master Splinter gets here. _Make sure she doesn't leave_."

"Why do I get stuck babysitting?"

"Just keep her here."

With that, the other three ran from the room at a full sprint, jumping up into a large opening leading out of the dojo. Serena stared after them before turning her cold gaze towards the only one left in the room. He was staring back at her a little uneasily as her eyes drilled through him with a silent promise to rip his jugular out should he make any attempt to touch her. At long last, however, she rolled her eyes and turned her back to him on the bed, a clear message that a conversation was less than welcome at that particular moment.

She heard him emit a heavy sigh behind her, and then footsteps could be heard walking away. A bit unsurely, she turned her gaze over her shoulder to glance after him. He disappeared into a different section of the lair, and her hand instantly dove down into her bra before pulling out the lock pick, a habitual item she had taken to keeping on her person at all times. Not wasting any time, she began picking the lock to the cuffs, and within seconds they were falling loosely off her wrist. She made sure to catch them rather than allowing them to fall to the floor. She needed to be silent. Standing, she listened carefully for any sign of him being near before bolting from the room towards the chamber the others had left through. Her limbs were already set on their path, as she jumped up off a pipe and used all her leg power to launch herself upwards. Her hands managed to catch the edge of the hole, and she quickly pulled herself up, thanking God silently for the burst of adrenaline.

As to where in the sewer system she was, she had no clue. All she knew was that she had to get out. She had to find her sister, brother, and niece. She had to make sure they were okay. Not minutes into her run, however, she began to grow fatigued, which was unusual. It alarmed her slightly, and to top it off her headache was growing increasingly worse. Perhaps she had done more than just hit her head…. Yet, she did not stop. There was no time for rest. Once she was out of the sewers, she could take a breath.

It appeared God had other plans for her, however. Before long, the pain in her head had grown so severe that it had begun to blur her vision. The dark tunnels wobbled and spun like a twisted funhouse, and she nearly stumbled over after a rat ran passed her feet. She quickly caught herself by grabbing onto the pipes snaking along the wall, panting and trying to overcome the nausea churning in her gut. She had to have a concussion. It was the only possible explanation she could come up with. That, or they had drugged her without her realizing it.

As she took a moment to catch her breath, she lifted her head and gave her surroundings a careful onceover. God knew where the hell she was. Actually, scratch that. God probably didn't know, either. Pushing herself up, she suddenly paused when her eyes landed on what she had been searching for for nearly ten minutes. Her legs were on autopilot as they swiftly carried her to the cutout in the wall, and she looked up to be presented with a ladder, and above her head was a manhole cap. Without a second's hesitation, she began climbing the ladder, listening to the sound of moving traffic above her head as she pushed up on the cover. It was heavy—almost too much so—and her head protested against the strain, when suddenly her foot slipped on the ladder. A startled squeak escaped her lips as she scrambled to grab onto something, but she wasn't quick enough and fell a good seven feet to the cement ground beneath her.

A cry of pain escaped her lips when her ribs made harsh contact with the floor, causing her head to spin. It took everything in her not to vomit, body trembling as the pain only grew worse instead of better. She tried standing, but her surroundings were spinning, and she just fell back to the floor pathetically. A string of obscenities played through her mind when she felt the prickling of tears in her eyes, but she was unable to hold them back. Her body was just under too much stress. Sitting up slowly, she leaned heavily against the ladder, angry at herself for being so weak. Crying was not usually something she allowed herself to do. It was a weakness she could not afford to display with the life she lived, but her mind was overloading, and her adrenaline levels were through the roof.

In the midst of her suffering, she had not registered the sound of running footsteps growing gradually closer to her location, and her head snapped up sharply when the creature that had been told to guard her suddenly flew passed where she was hiding. Her body remained tensed, breath hitched in her throat in hopes that he had not seen her. However, when the footsteps suddenly stopped, she realized that was not the case. The next second, he was standing in front of the opening to the ladder, body darkened and silhouetted as he stared down at her.

He was probably going to kill her for trying to escape. They had not yet provided any solid proof that they were trying to protect her. So far, the majority of people whom had claimed to be trustworthy to her had turned out to be traitors, and more than a few of those occasions had ended with death—almost her own.

Donatello didn't know what to do or say. He had returned to find her missing, and he'd used his headset to track her thermal trail after he'd finished suffering minor cardiac arrest. He stared down at her as she stared back up at him with wide, glistening eyes. She had been crying, and judging by her accelerated heartbeat she had either overexerted herself or was scared to the near point of death. Perhaps a combination of the two. A quick examination of the scene lead him to a conclusion of what had happened. She had obviously been planning on escaping through the manhole but had slipped on the ladder, and now she was on the ground—likely suffering some pain from the seven foot drop. Another quick scan told him nothing was broken. Lifting the headset off his eyes, he took a slow step towards her. As expected, she instantly tried moving away from him, and he held his hands up as a sign of peace.

"Hey, take it easy," he said gently.

Tears were streaking her cheeks. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? "Please... Just let me leave…"

"I can't. Your life is in danger."

"I can take care of myself!"

He released a heavy sigh. "Ma'am, I understand you're—"

"Number one: don't call me ma'am. I'm not my mother. Second, you don't understand shit!" she snarled at him. "You have no idea what I've been though, so don't act like you know me! I'm not your fucking friend!" she spat angrily.

His eyes fell, but then they returned to her once more. To her surprise, he didn't appear angry. He didn't even look irritated. If anything, he appeared vaguely morose.

"I know you're angry."

Her eyes searched him, still shining.

"I know you don't trust me. I know you don't trust any of us. We're aware of how we come off towards people, but I promise you we are only trying to help you."

"You want to help me?" She glared at him. "Prove it. Let me leave. Let me find my family."

He sighed quietly. "I'm sorry. I can't. Not yet."

She turned her head away from him, eyes dark. "I'm not about to trust you just because you say I should. I've dealt with enough lies, and I know enough not to put my life into the hands of strangers—especially mutant, sewer-dwelling science experiments that run around abducting people."

She was being harsh on purpose. It was her way of testing him, and she was almost one hundred percent certain he would snap at the insult. But, to her shock, he didn't. He didn't strike her. He didn't even tense up as if trying to hold himself back from hitting her. All he did was stare at her, eyes falling towards the floor once more in silence. As a matter-of-fact, if she didn't know better, she would have said he was trying to hide the fact he was slightly hurt by the verbal attack. When he spoke after what felt like ten minutes, he didn't offer insult or angered backlash. His voice was quiet and calm, but it held undertones of something she couldn't quite place.

"You don't have to trust or like me. You need to be protected, whether you want to accept it or not, and I'm not letting you leave." He met her eyes solidly, his own leaving no room for argument.

She stared up at him, but her glare had softened from its piercing scowl. She wasn't sure why, but she sensed her words had hurt him. That was not something she had encountered before. All of her prior captors had always responded with violent anger or, at the very least, an equally sadistic comment thrown back at her. But this one—this—turtle—was different. He very well could have just knocked her out and carried her back to their lair, but instead he had taken the time to try and talk to her. Of course, she had not noticed this earlier due to her spitting anger, but it didn't matter. She still didn't trust him, and she was still technically a captive against her own will. That did not sit well with her.

It had become painfully clear to her that she was currently in no shape to exert high amounts of energy, so she had begrudgingly complied into following him back to the lair. She'd allowed him to hold onto her only briefly as he made the lengthy drop back down into the dojo, but the second her feet touched ground she had shoved away from him, barely sparing him a glance as she walked back to her proclaimed "room". He followed her after grabbing something from the other room, and she expected him to cuff her again, but what he actually did took her by surprise. He handed her an ice pack and a bottle of water. Slowly, she reached forward and took the items from his hands, a bit undecidedly.

"Put the ice against your ribs. It'll help the pain," he stated.

With that he turned away.

Her lips parted. She was almost afraid to ask. "…You're not going to tie me up?"

"No. You're not a prisoner. For the last time, we're just trying to protect you."

She remained quiet, not all too sure how to respond. In the end, she decided it was best not to, so she took to giving her surroundings a good look-over. Upon closer inspection, she realized the bed was made up from neatly stacked and secured piles of books. A mattress had been placed over the top with the blankets and pillows. Surrounding the bed were larger pillows to sit on, and behind the bed was a wall made entirely out of boom boxes. If her situation had been different, she would have jumped on the opportunity to see if they worked, but she was hardly in the mood. A few chairs were scattered around, as well as a small washing area and a couple shelves. Separating this room from what she assumed was the living room was nothing but a see-through plastic curtain. In truth, the place was pretty impressive. It was clear they had been living here for awhile.

She glanced over her shoulder as her lookout sat in a chair in front of an impressive wall of computer screens that would make most professional hackers shy away. With a few taps on the keyboard, the screens came to life, and she watched as multiple surveillance feeds appeared on the screens. Her eyes followed his, and she saw he was looking at a subway feed. Her jaw nearly hit the floor when she saw police officers leading away Foot Clan members, who had been left tied and crippled on the floor. She didn't have to ask to know the other three were responsible for this handiwork. From what she could tell, no hostages had been killed, but she couldn't be sure. He pressed another button, and the volume came on as a pretty dark-haired woman began speaking.

_This is April O'Neil live. Another Foot Clan attack has been brought to a triumphant halt by the city's four mysterious vigilantes. They remain unseen and elusive, but they have made it quite clear that they are out to protect us from those who wish to do us harm. All of the hostages have been deemed safe and unharmed._

Serena's lips parted the slightest bit as she absorbed what she had just heard. Clearly, she had missed a few things while she was out of the city. Her eyes shifted towards her guard—what was his name? She couldn't remember. A sharp pang of guilt twisted in her gut as she recalled her harsh words less than thirty minutes ago. Clearly, her judgment had been wrong. Sure, she still didn't exactly trust them, but it had become clear to her that they were not her enemy. They were vigilantes, forced to stick to the shadows and avoid being seen because of their differences. People wouldn't understand. She herself was a prime example.

She winced. She wasn't a cruel person, so knowing her words had actually done damage didn't sit well with her, especially now that she knew the truth. Her eyes closed, and she emitted a soft sigh before looking towards him once more. After another moment of contemplating it, she slowly rose to her feet. Gently pushing the plastic curtains aside, she approached him quietly, watching as he lifted his head when he sensed her presence. She sat down in one of the chairs near him, keeping her eyes locked with his.

"That just now… that was your brothers, wasn't it?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

Her eyes fell briefly before returning to him. "Why are you helping me? You don't know me."

He shrugged. "It's just what we do. Granted, we don't usually take people down here, but you happen to be in a pretty bad situation, and we were left with no choice."

Her eyes fell again.

"But it's not like we don't want you here," he added, almost as if to correct an error. "You're allowed to look around. You can use one of the computers if you want."

She stared openly at him. She had been doing nothing but insulting and yelling at them since she woke up, and he was trying to make her feel welcomed. For a long moment she remained in silence, trying to wrap her mind around it. It didn't go unnoticed by her how he seemed to shuffle uncomfortably at her silent stare.

"What's your name?" she asked at last.

He seemed to hesitate, but after a minute he answered: "Donatello." Pause. "But you can call me Donnie… if you want…"

Another long pause followed after that.

"I want to apologize for what I said to you back there…"

He seemed surprised at her words, but in the end he just shrugged. "I can take the verbal abuse. I get daily doses of it from Raphael."

She didn't know which one Raphael was, but that wasn't what was important. "It doesn't matter if you can take it. I shouldn't have said it. It's just… I'm not exactly used to being kidnapped by the good guys." Her eyes met his. "You could have hit me. I deserved it, and no one was there to stop you. But you didn't." Her gaze had softened. "I didn't mean what I said."

A small smile tugged at his lips, but it wasn't exactly mirthful. "Yeah, you did."

"No. I didn't. I knew I was being a bitch when I said it. I was just trying to test you. You see, I've been kidnapped before. They tried convincing me they were good, like you… but they weren't. All I had to do was throw a few insults at them, and they tried beating me bloody. It's just my way of testing trust."

He eyed her carefully, and he actually seemed to be putting her words into thought. "…Why is the Foot Clan after you?"

She shook her head. "I don't know."

"There must be a reason. Do you have any ties to big people?"

"I know a few people, but they're hardly anything like the Foot Clan. I can't see why any of them would be of great importance to those scumbags."

"What is this?"

Donatello's head abruptly snapped up at the sudden voice, and he looked as Splinter walked into the room.

"Sensei…"

Serena once again found herself staring openly. A five foot tall, walking, talking rat. That was it. She was officially convinced she was on some type of drug induced acid trip. She watched silently as Donatello quickly began to explain the situation to him all the way up until she had tried to escape. The fact he had left that out made her glance towards him, but she said nothing. The elderly-looking rodent chuckled as he approached her. Obviously she had some type of humorous expression on her face she hadn't been aware of.

"Forgive us if we startled you, Miss. I assure you, my sons mean nothing but the best for your safety."

Serena stared at him, nodding faintly. "So you're their… sensei?"

He nodded. "Yes, but you may call me Splinter."

Her eyes shifted back towards Donatello. All he did was nod to her and offered the smallest of smiles, as if to reassure her. It took a minute of some serious debating with herself, but she finally returned her gaze to Splinter and nodded once.

"…Serena…"

Splinter smiled at her. "Welcome, Serena. My sons will keep you safe until we figure out what the Foot Clan wants from you."

She nodded slowly. "…How did this… all of this… happen? I mean... how did you become... like this?"

He appeared to show caution at first, but eventually he motioned for her to walk after him. "Come sit."

Although she wasn't sure why, she looked up at Donatello. He nodded his head, and she stood slowly before following the rat out of the room.

* * *

><p><strong>She was being so mean to poor Donnie. :p I'm seeing that I've begun to accumulate some readers. I'd love to hear from you guys and see what you think! Reviews are always appreciated and taken into great thought. xoxo<strong>


	3. Warming Up

**Disclaimer: TMNT 2014 belongs to ****Jonathan Liebesman.**

**Chapter #3: Warming Up**

Serena awoke the next morning (or at least she assumed it was morning) to find the others had returned. A quick glance down at her phone told her that it was around eight AM. Her head felt considerably better, too. Pushing herself into a more dignified position, she ran her fingers through her hair, using the reverse camera on her phone to check her appearance. Her hair was slightly frazzled, but she was able to comb it out with her fingers. That was how her hair had always been; easy to tame a fix. It was rare she actually ever did something to it. Thankfully, her makeup from the day prior still looked presentable as well, to her pleasant surprise. It was only a matter of time before she would have to wash up, though. If she was to stay here, these guys would need to stock her up on a few things. Putting her phone in her pocket, she pushed the blankets off of her and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Donatello was stationed at the computers, as usual, and on the screens were countless security feeds.

"You know, that's extremely unsettling," she muttered, whilst stretching.

He looked over at her in question. "What is?"

"That?" She pointed as she leaned backwards in a backbend. A soft grunt left her lips as she felt her back pop, and she lifted herself back up. "You have eyes everywhere. You're like the government."

"Hey, at least I'm not corrupt."

A grim smirk pulled at her lips. Standing straight, she straightened out her shirt and pushed aside the plastic curtain. She joined his side, looking up at all the screens with poorly concealed interest. "I have to hand it to you, though… this is pretty impressive stuff."

He smiled up at her proudly. "I built it myself. I've got security feeds from all over the city. You name it, I can hack it."

"Even the cameras in apartments and houses?"

"Well, I could get into those if I wanted to, but I mainly stick to public areas like subways. I mean, it's not like I'm watching people in their homes."

"Okay, well… good to know you haven't seen me in my panties."

If it hadn't been for his greenish complexion, she would have guessed he was blushing the slightest bit.

"Hey, she's up!"

Serena turned sharply, startled at the sudden outburst. Michelangelo approached her, youthful eyes alight with a friendly smile, and her eyes shifted down as he handed her a glass of what she assumed was orange juice.

"Brought ya some orange juice!"

She accepted it slowly. "Thank you…"

"No problem! Name's Michelangelo, by the way, but you can call me Mikey."

Before she had a chance to respond, a movement in one of the arched doorways caused her to turn her head as the other two walked into view. Their eyes locked on her as they entered, exchanging glances with each other. The bigger one turned his gaze back to her, and she knew instantly that he didn't trust or like her too much, but it wasn't like she had expected him to after their less than charming first impressions. The one beside him studied her with calm but guarded blue eyes, silently looking her over. She understood. She had done the same thing to them. So far, the only one she had really gotten to know even a little about was Donatello, who seemed nice enough. How bad could his brothers be?

That big one in the red, though. He looked pretty mean.

Clearing her throat, she decided she should say something—anything to break the tension. Stepping up to them, she looked up at the one clad in blue, choosing her words carefully before speaking. "…I have trust issues, to say the least. I acted the way I did out of instinct. I'm not used to being treated well by captors."

He was quiet, but she could tell he was listening.

"I met your sensei. He explained everything to me."

This bit of information clearly took them by surprise. They all exchanged looks.

"I saw what you did at the subway through the security feed," she continued. They looked back at her. "I was wrong about you." Her eyes met each of theirs humbly. "I'm sorry."

Because he was standing behind her, she missed the small smile that tugged at Donatello's lips. His eyes shifted to Leonardo, who met his gaze briefly before returning to Serena.

"Is there anything you need?" he asked finally.

"Actually… there are a few things from my apartment I'd like to salvage, if that's possible."

He nodded. "Write a list. It's too risky to take you with us, but we'll take care of it."

"Thank you…"

He nodded again. Satisfied for now, she went to walk away but paused suddenly as she realized she didn't know their names. Tentatively, she turned back to them, and she met both of their eyes inquiringly. "What are your names?"

"…Leonardo," the blue clad one answered, almost as if he wasn't sure whether or not to trust her with this information. "Or Leo."

She nodded slowly. "Donatello, Michelangelo, and Leonardo." She looked to the biggest brother. "That must make you Raphael."

The only response she received was a sort of confirming grunt. Clearly, he held grudges, but that was fine. As long as they could all stay civil, that was all she cared about. She didn't need them to like her, and she didn't need to like or trust them. They were the ones who refused to let her leave, after all. Hopefully, they would all be able to get back to their lives.

* * *

><p>Serena liked Splinter. She had warmed up quickly to the elderly rat despite her inclination to remain detached from the others. He had brought her a takeout container containing a delicious looking breakfast. Up until then, she had not realized how hungry she was, as her stomach growled eagerly at the smell of the omelet. Unlike the others' loud and rambunctious natures, he was calm and quiet, and regardless of his appearance she trusted him almost immediately. That was not in her nature, but she sensed she could trust him somehow. It was bizarre. Michelangelo had also brought her more orange juice, and a tiny but genuine smile had made it to her lips. He was probably the happiest thing alive on planet Earth, and it was rubbing off on her without her control. He was childlike and warm.<p>

And curious. My God, he could overload Google with the amount of questions he had for her.

At one point, the gregarious turtle had finally convinced her to emerge from her room and follow him outside into another part of the lair. She was lead to an open room with a sunken floor and platform in the center. The walls were decorated with multicolored graffiti, and along part of the rounded walls were multiple weapons. In the center of the room, Leonardo and Raphael were displaying an impressive sparring match. For their hulking size, they certainly didn't have any trouble moving their weight around. In fact, they were more nimble than most humans she knew.

"This is the Dojo," Michelangelo explained. She had almost forgotten he was there. "This is where we train."

"Okay. So Leonardo favors the katana, Raphael the sai, and Donatello the bō staff. What about you?"

As if he had been eagerly awaiting the question, he whipped out two pairs of nunchucks and twirled them. She smiled faintly.

"So how long have you guys been down here?"

"Our whole lives, basically."

"How long is that?"

"What are you, a reporter?" Raphael muttered.

She glanced over at him but otherwise ignored the comment.

"Well, we're teenagers, so—"

"Whoa, what?" She shot the skater turtle an incredulous stare. "You're _teenagers_?"

"Yep."

"Holy Christ, I never would have guessed that." Turning to Raphael, she gave him a quick onceover. "Especially you."

"How old are you?"

Donatello, who had abandoned the computers to join the conversation, shoved Michelangelo by the shoulder. "What's wrong with you? You don't ask girls their age."

"Why not? It's not like she's old."

Serena's lips twitched, and Donatello scoffed. Over on the platform, a grunt left Leonardo as he was shoved backwards by a strong kick to his front by Raphael.

"Teenagers…" She shook her head. "I wish teenagers had muscle like that when I was in high school."

Michelangelo grinned. "Hey, guys, she's totally checking us out."

Leonardo rolled his eyes. "Mikey, even if you were human you wouldn't have a chance with that."

"Don't be jealous cuz I got a girlfriend, bro."

"She's not your girlfriend, moron," grunted Raphael.

"Girlfriend…?" Serena glanced between them.

"Long story," said Leonardo dismissively. Taking a hint, she dropped the subject.

* * *

><p>If it hadn't been for her watch and cell phone, it would have been impossible for her to know what time of day it was. Currently, though, her cell phone was with Donatello, who had claimed he needed to borrow it to make sure it wasn't bugged. For all she knew, <em>he<em> was bugging it, but at this point it wasn't like it mattered. She had been taken aback when she had looked down at her watch to check the time, to find that it was nearly eleven o' clock at night. Her jaw nearly dropped open. Without the sun to remind her, she hadn't even realized how late it was. Getting up, she walked out of the room to go look where the other four slept. Three of the four were knocked out. She'd been so absorbed in the books Donatello had given her that she had completely drowned out everything else around her.

Speaking of Donatello, where was he? The purple masked turtle was not among his brothers. Speak of the Devil and he shall come. The sudden sound of footsteps coming from nearby caused her to sharply turn back towards her room, feet silent as she quickly jumped back into her bed. She watched from the corner of her eye as he walked into the room and pulled out the chair at the computer desk. She still felt a little guilty for how she had treated him. Actually, she felt terrible. The guilt had only grown when he had brought her the books. She had not asked for them, but he had gone through the effort to bring them to her. In actuality, he had been nothing but kind to her from the start. She'd just been too disconcerted to notice. He was nice, and he had this geeky quirk about him that she liked, setting him apart from the others. He wasn't as big as them, either, when it came to muscle, and the dorky glasses on his face only added to his character, in her opinion. She'd snorted back a laugh when she noticed he had taped them in the middle.

Smiling faintly, she stood from her bed and approached him. He didn't notice her at first, absorbed in whatever it was he was typing, but once she drew near he looked up at the sound of her footsteps. Vague hints of surprise flickered through his gaze when he saw it was her.

"Hey. Everything alright?"

She sighed softly and shook her head. "No. Not really," she answered honestly.

He was quiet for a moment, and then he motioned for her to sit in the chair beside him. She did.

"It must be scary," he commented quietly.

She shrugged. "Honestly, I've been through so much scary, not much fazes me anymore. Not even being hunted… or kidnapped by a bunch of mutant turtles."

The corners of his mouth twitched upwards, and she smiled back faintly. At least he had realized she was just joking this time. She turned her gaze down to her lap.

"I just wish I could check in on my sister. She just had a baby this year. It would make me feel better to know they're safe…"

He considered her silently for a minute. "What's her address?"

"…39 Oakland Ave… why?"

His fingers instantly began typing once again, and she watched as the screen in front of him lit up with a satellite view of the city. A few more taps on the keyboard, and the map zoomed all the way in on an apartment complex. Serena leaned in slowly, unable to hide the fascination in her eyes.

"You said you can hack into home security cameras…"

"Yeah."

"Do it."

Within a couple minutes, she was given view of the apartment's interior. A diminutive but genuine smile curved her lips when he blacked out the feed to her sister's room after seeing she was sound asleep in her bed. Looking at the feed from the next room over, the baby's room, her smile grew softly as she watched the blurred image of her niece fast asleep in her crib.

"I'm sorry we have to keep you away from them," Donatello spoke up quietly.

She sighed but shook her head. "It's safer this way. If I'm being hunted, I shouldn't be around them. It's good to know I can check in on them here and there, though." Lifting her hand, she pointed to the baby. "That's my niece, Rose. The woman in the other room is my sister, Sarah."

He smiled faintly. "What about the father?"

Her eyes fell, smile faltering the slightest bit. "He died shortly after Sarah found out she was pregnant. He was shot when men tried robbing the workshop he worked for."

It was clear by his expression that he regretted asking. "Sorry…"

"You didn't know."

He remained quiet a moment, as if he were hesitating. "How old is the baby?"

She glanced at him. "Almost five months now." Turning her head to him, she allowed a softened, grateful smile to appear on her face. "Thanks, Donnie."

He nodded. "I'll leave it up if you want, so you can keep an eye on them."

She smiled at him, and, without hesitation, she placed her hand over his. His eyes snapped down to their hands, taken aback by her willingness to touch him. Just hours ago, she wouldn't even let him near her. Then suddenly, his expression lit up at he remembered something. "Oh, yeah." Reaching over, he picked up her phone off the desk and handed it back to her. "I disabled the service, but I was able to recover your music and photos…"

Her eyes widened a fraction, and she quickly took it from his hand. Sure enough, her music and photos had been restored to the device. The familiar sting of tears prickled in her eyes as she scrolled through images of her friends and family, the smile dancing on her lips a mixture of pain and remembrance as she looked at an image of her father and her. They were both making goofy faces at the camera, and she felt her heartstrings tug. Scrolling down, she stopped on one of her and her mother. They were sitting atop two beautiful Friesians, their glimmering black coats contrasting marvelously against the warm colors of autumn trees in the background. Three years. It had been three years since they had been killed.

Her thoughts traveled back to Donatello once more, as did her gratitude. He didn't have to do this for her. Somehow, he had sensed the photos had been dear to her, and he had gone through the trouble to restore them to her phone. It astounded and confused her, but she couldn't have been more grateful. She took him off guard when she suddenly stood from her chair and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a warm embrace.

"Thank you," she whispered. Pulling away, she kissed his cheek lightly before turning away back towards her bed, leaving him to stare after her in poorly concealed captivation. If she had looked back, she wouldn't have missed the slight upturn of his lips as he watched after her.

* * *

><p><strong>Short chapter is short. Some things are going to start happening now that the introductory chapters are out of the way. I'm going to start addressing some reviews, so if you guys have questions, comments, or suggestions, review! xoxo<strong>


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